Korean media compared losing to Japan to a disaster
The Chosun Ilbo wrote: "The game ended meaninglessly. The South Korean team lost a fiasco and lost three goals, which was not eliminated. This is a disaster that goes down in history in the football confrontation between South Korea and Japan."
South Korea lost to Japan at Pakhtakol Stadium on June 12-a team that only sent Group U21 to compete in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 2020 Asian U23 champion has 57 percent possession but only two shots against his opponent's nine. La Liga star Li Kangren, who played for Mallorca, has nothing to say.
Suzuki Yuto, a 20-year-old midfielder, wore Shimizu S-Pulse jersey and cut into the heart to open the record. The Japanese team concretized the advantage of the game. In the second half, the Japanese team scored two more goals with the help of Shigeru Hotoshigeru and Suzuki himself, and played more happily. Teams in the land of the rising sun can win more if they seize the opportunity.
Before the game, Coach Huang was appointed as the defending target. However, South Korea failed to pass the U23 quarter-finals in Asia for the first time. In their first game in Oman in 2013, they lost to Jordan on penalties in the third place competition. In Qatar in 2016, South Korea reached the final, but lost to Japan 2-3. The Kimchi team lost 1-0 to Qatar in the 2018 third-place competition before beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the 2020 Thailand final.
In another article in North Korea, coach Huang was criticized for choosing the wrong personnel. Cho Young-wook (FC Seoul) and Oh Se-hun (Ulsan Hyundai) did well in the group but were on the bench when they met Japan. The names chosen, such as Jae-hyun Ko and star Lee Kang-jen, did not live up to expectations.
At the same time, the Korean version of Goal stressed that it was wrong for coach Huang not to use defensive midfield against Japan. "Quan Hegui, where is Li Zhenyong? The absence of defensive midfield caused disaster" is the headline of this newspaper.
Kwon Hyeok-kyu, currently with IPARK in Busan, has played for South Korea U17, U20 and U23. He started in the 4-1 win over Malaysia and the 1-0 win over Thailand, and only missed the group game against Vietnam. Meanwhile, Lee Jin Yong works at Daegu Football Club in K-League 1. Lee has a knack for defensive midfield positions, but can also play at centre-back or right-back. He received a red card in the draw with Vietnam and can return from the quarter-finals.
Goal judges Kwon Hyeok-Kyu and Lee Jin-Yong are two pillars of the South Korean U23 region, and surprised by the decision to brick both of these players of coach Hwang.
